Data management device, data management system, and recording medium

ABSTRACT

The present invention allows an information processing terminal, connected with an information processing device, to view data managed in a data management device with ease. The data management device includes: circuitry; and a memory storing executable instructions which, when executed by the circuitry, cause the circuitry to: communicably connect with an information processing terminal and an information processing device via a network; transmit access information to the information processing device, the transmitted access information being used to view data stored in the memory; receive an acquisition request from the information processing device, the received acquisition request being transmitted in response to a user operation performed on the access information in the information processing terminal connected to the information processing device, and being used to acquire the data; and transmit the acquired data to the information processing device based on the access information included in the acquisition request.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 toJapanese Patent Application No. 2022-044642, filed Mar. 18, 2022, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a data management device, a datamanagement system, and a recording medium.

2. Description of the Related Art

A document management system for electronically managing data such asdocuments is in use. Also, a document processing system that performspredetermined processes by using information representing the content ofdata is in use. Furthermore, there is a technique in which a datamanagement device such as a document management system and aninformation processing device such as a document processing system arelinked, and in which the information processing device performspredetermined processes by using information that represents the contentof data managed in the data management device.

A document processing system makes it possible to search for informationin a drill-down fashion. For example, as related art, Patent Document 1discloses an invention that separates between the search process and thedefinitions of searchable items, so as to enable drill-down search witha higher degree of freedom in the order in which search items arespecified.

RELATED-ART DOCUMENT Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No.HEI9-311862

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, a problem with the related art is that the procedures forviewing data managed in a data management device from an informationprocessing terminal connected to an information processing device arecomplex. To do so, the user has to know, in advance, information foraccessing the data managed in the data management device, which isinefficient.

In view of the above technical problem, an object of an embodiment ofthe present invention is to enable an information processing terminalconnected to an information processing device to view the data managedin a data management device with ease.

In order to achieve the above object, a data management device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention includes: circuitry; and amemory storing executable instructions which, when executed by thecircuitry, cause the circuitry to: communicably connect with aninformation processing terminal and an information processing device viaa network; transmit access information to the information processingdevice, the transmitted access information being used to view datastored in the memory; receive an acquisition request from theinformation processing device, the received acquisition request beingtransmitted in response to a user operation performed on the accessinformation in the information processing terminal connected to theinformation processing device, and being used to acquire the data; andtransmit the acquired data to the information processing device based onthe access information included in the acquisition request.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an informationprocessing terminal connected to an information processing device canview the data managed in a data management device with ease.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram that shows an overall structure of an informationprocessing system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows a hardware structure of a computeraccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram that shows a hardware structure of an MFP accordingto one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram that shows a functional structure of an informationprocessing system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram that shows the procedures of an informationprocessing method according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram that shows an example of a document registrationgraphical interface according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram that shows an example of a document informationregistration graphical interface according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram that shows an example of document informationaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram that shows an example of document meta dataaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram that shows an example of billing information metadata according to one embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram that shows an example of a bill list graphicalinterface according to one embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram that shows an example of a bill detail graphicalinterface according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 13 is a diagram that shows an example of an original copy viewgraphical interface according to one embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that,throughout the accompanying drawings, components that have the samefunction will be assigned the same numerals, and redundant descriptionwill be omitted.

Embodiment

An embodiment of the present invention is an information processingsystem, in which a document management server that manages documents anda document processing server that performs predetermined processes byusing information representing the contents of documents (hereinafteralso referred to as “document information”) can communicate with eachother via a communication network.

In the information processing system according to this embodiment, thedocument management server and the document processing server cooperate.To be more specific, the document processing server performspredetermined processes by using document information that representsthe contents of documents managed on the document management server.

A user who performs a process by using a document’s information may wantto browse the real copy of the document. However, since the documentprocessing server does not hold the real copy of the document, the userneeds to search for the document on the document management server.

Meanwhile, the information that is needed to search for a document onthe document management server varies depending on the content of thedocument. Therefore, the user needs to know in advance in which locationthe information that is needed to search for the document is present.

In the information processing system according to this embodiment, thedocument management server transmits access information, which isinformation for accessing the document, to the document processingserver, together with document information. The document processingserver stores ID information that identifies the document information,and the access information, in advance, in association with each other,and presents the access information to the user terminal by including itin the graphical interface for performing the process using the documentinformation.

The user terminal transmits a request for acquiring the document, to themanagement server, in response to the operation performed on the accessinformation on the graphical interface. The document management serverprovides the user terminal with a graphical interface for viewing thedocument, in response to the acquisition request received from the userterminal.

A “document” according to this embodiment refers to electronic data thatrepresents the content of a document or the like. However, electronicdata is by no means limited to documents, and any electronic data torepresent, for example, information such as text, images, moving images,and so forth may be used.

The document processing server according to this embodiment is anaccounting system that performs accounting processes by using accountinginformation such as details indicated on bills such as invoices.However, the processes to be performed by the document processing serverare by no means limited to accounting processes, and any electronicprocess that uses information about the contents of documents may beperformed.

Overall Structure of Information Processing System

First, the structure of the information processing system according tothis embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is aconceptual diagram that shows an example overall structure of theinformation processing system according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1 , an information processing system 1 according tothis embodiment includes a document management server 10, a documentprocessing server 20, a user terminal 30-1, and a user terminal 30-2.

The document management server 10, the document processing server 20,and the user terminals 30 are each connected to a communication networkN1. The communication network N1 is configured such that the devicesconnected to the communication network N1 can communicate with eachother.

The communication network N1 is formed with a wired communicationnetwork such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a WAN (WideArea Network). The communication network N1 is by no means limited towired communication, and may be formed with a wireless LAN or be basedon wireless communication such as short-range wireless communication, ormay be formed with a mobile communication network such as WiMAX(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), LTE (Long TermEvolution), or 5G (5th Generation).

The document management server 10 electronically manages the documentsgenerated on the job. In the document management server 10, meta data isassociated and stored with the documents, so that efficient documentsearch is possible. Also, the document management server 10 has afunction of executing a workflow for performing jobs to thereby enable,for example, efficient flow of circulation of documents.

The document management server 10 may be implemented by one informationprocessing device, or may be implemented by a plurality of informationprocessing devices.

The document processing server 20 electronically performs predeterminedprocesses by using information representing the contents of documents.The document processing server 20 according to this embodiment performs,for example, accounting processes by using billing information such asdetails written on bills such as invoices.

The document processing server 20 may be implemented by one informationprocessing device, or may be a system that is implemented by a pluralityof information processing devices.

The user terminal 30-1 is an electronic device used by a requestingperson, who is a user of the document management server 10. Therequesting person can operate the document management server 10 throughthe user terminal 30-1. The requesting person according to thisembodiment is, for example, accounting personnel or the like who handlesbills such as invoices to be accounted for by the document managementserver 10.

The user terminal 30-2 may be an electronic device used by a processingperson, who is a user of the document processing server 20. Theprocessing person can operate the document processing server 20 throughthe user terminal 30-2. The processing person according to thisembodiment is, for example, an accountant or the like who performsaccounting processes on the document processing server 20 by usingbilling information such as details written on bills such as invoices.

Computers are examples of the document management server 10, thedocument processing server 20, and the user terminals 30. Other examplesof the user terminals include, for example, image forming devices (aprinter, a FAX machine, an MFP (MultifunctionPeripheral/Product/Printer: digital multi-function peripheral), ascanner machine, and the like). Note that the document management server10, the document processing server 20, and the user terminals 30 are notlimited to information processing devices or image forming devices, aslong as they have communication functions.

The document management server 10, the document processing server 20,and the user terminals 30 may include, for example, a PJ (Projector), anIWB (Interactive White Board: a whiteboard having electronic blackboardfunctions and capable of mutual communication), an output device such asdigital signage, a HUD (Head Up Display) device, an industrial machine,an imaging device, a sound collecting device, a medical device, anetwork appliance, an automobile (connected car), a laptop PC (PersonalComputer), a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a gamingmachine, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a digital camera, awearable PC, a desktop PC, and so forth.

Hardware Structure of Information Processing System

Next, the hardware structure of each device included in the informationprocessing system according to this embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .

Computer Hardware Structure

FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows an example hardware structure in theevent the document management server 10, the document processing server20 and the user terminals 30 are implemented by computers.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a computer according to this embodiment has a CPU501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, an HD 504, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive)controller 505, a display 506, an external device access I/F (Interface)508, a network I/F 509, a bus line 510, a keyboard 511, a pointingdevice 512, a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 514, anda medium I/F 516.

Among these, the CPU 501 controls the overall operation of the computer.The ROM 502 stores the programs used to drive the CPU 501, such as IPL.The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The HD 504 storesvarious data such as programs. The HDD controller 505 controls thereading or writing of various data to the HD 504 under the control ofthe CPU 501.

The display 506 displays various information such as a cursor, a menu,graphical interfaces, characters, or images. The external device accessI/F 508 is an interface for connecting various external devices.External devices in this case refer to, for example, the USB (UniversalSerial Bus) memory, printers, or the like. The network I/F 509 is aninterface for communicating data through the communication network N1.The bus line 510 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like, forelectrically connecting between each component shown in FIG. 2 such asthe CPU 501.

Also, the keyboard 511 is a kind of input means having a plurality ofkeys for entering characters, numerical values, various commands, and soforth. The pointing device 512 is a kind of input means for selectingand executing various commands, selecting the processing target, movingthe cursor, and so forth. The DVD-RW drive 514 controls the reading orwriting of various data to the DVD-RW 513 as an example of a removablerecording medium. Note that, not only DVD-RW but also DVD-R or the likemay be used as well. The medium I/F 516 controls the reading or writing(storage) of data to a recording medium 515 such as a flash memory.

Hardware Structure of MFP

FIG. 3 is a diagram that shows an example hardware structure in theevent a user terminal 30 is implemented by an MFP. As shown in FIG. 3 ,an MFP according to this embodiment includes a controller 910, anear-distance communication circuit 920, an engine controller 930, anoperating panel 940, and a network I/F 950.

Of these, the controller 910 includes a CPU 901, a system memory (MEM-P)902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, and an ASIC(Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, which are the main partsof the computer, a local memory (MEM-C) 907 and an HDD controller 908,which are memories, and an HD 909, which is a memory, and an AGP(Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921 which connects between the NB 903and the ASIC 906.

Among these, the CPU 901 is a controller that has overall control of theMFP. The NB 903 is a bridge for connecting between the CPU 901, theMEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921, and has a memory controllerthat controls reading and writing with respect to the MEM-P902, a PCI(Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 902 is composed of a ROM 902 a, which is a memory for storingprograms and data for implementing each function of the controller 910,and a RAM 902 b, which is used for loading of programs and data, andwhich is used as a graphics memory upon memory printing, and the like.Note that the programs stored in the RAM 902 b may be recorded on acomputer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, and soforth, as a file in installable format or executable format, andprovided in this fashion.

The SB 904 is a bridge for connecting the NB 903 with PCI devices andperipheral devices. The ASIC 906 is an image processing IC (IntegratedCircuit) having hardware elements for image processing, and serves as abridge that connects between the AGP bus 921, the PCI bus 922, the HDD908, and the eMEM-C 907. This ASIC 906 consists of the PCI target andthe AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that serves as the core of the ASIC906, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C907, multiple DMACs(Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardwarelogic and the like, and a PCI unit that transfers data between thescanner 931 and the printer 932 via the PCI bus 922. Note that a USB(Universal Serial Bus) interface, an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electricaland Electronics Engineers 1394) interface, and so forth may be connectedto the ASIC 906 as well.

The MEM-C 907 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying anda code buffer. The HD 909 is a storage for accumulating image data,accumulating font data used for printing, and accumulating forms. The HD909 controls the reading or writing of data to or from the HD 909 underthe control of the CPU 901. The AGP bus 921 is a bus interface forgraphics accelerator cards, proposed to speed up graphics processing,and can speed up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing theMEM-P 902 with high throughput.

Also, the near-distance communication circuit 920 includes anear-distance communication circuit 920 a. The near-distancecommunication circuit 920 is a communication circuit based on, forexample, NFC or Bluetooth.

Furthermore, the engine controller 930 is composed of a scanner 931 anda printer 932. Also, the operating panel 940 has a panel display 940 asuch as a touch panel for displaying current set values, a selectiongraphical interface, etc., and for accepting input from the operator,and an operating panel 940 b including, for example, a numeric keypadfor entering the set values of conditions related to image formationsuch as the set condition of density, a start key for entering a copystart command, and so forth. The controller 910 controls the entire MFP,and controls, for example, drawing, communication, and input from theoperating panel 940. The scanner 931 or the printer 932 includes imageprocessing parts where, for example, error diffusion and gammaconversion are performed.

Note that the MFP can switch and select between the document boxfunction, the copy function, the printer function, and the facsimilefunction, one by one, by operating an application switching key providedon the operating panel 940. The MFP assumes the document box mode whenthe document box function is selected, assumes the copy mode when thecopy function is selected, assumes the printer mode when the printerfunction is selected, and assumes the facsimile mode when the facsimilemode is selected.

Also, the network I/F 950 is an interface for communicating data usingthe communication network N1. The near-distance communication circuit920 and the network I/F 950 are electrically connected to the ASIC 906via the PCI bus 922.

Functional Structure of Information Processing System

Next, an example functional structure of the information processingsystem according to this embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a block diagram that shows an example functionalstructure of the information processing system according to thisembodiment.

Functional Structure of Document Management Server

As shown in FIG. 4 , the document management server 10 according to thisembodiment includes a transmitter/receiver 11, a data manager 12, agraphical interface information generator 13, a data memory 100, and agraphical interface information memory 110. The transmitter/receiver 11according to this embodiment includes a data receiver 111, a processinformation transmitter 112, an acquisition request receiver 113, a datatransmitter 114, and a graphical interface information transmitter 115.

The transmitter/receiver 11 is implemented by, for example, processesthat the programs loaded in the RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2cause the CPU 501 and the network I/F 509 to perform.

The data manager 12 and the graphical interface information generator 13are implemented by, for example, processes that the programs loaded inthe RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2 cause the CPU 501 and theHDD controller 505 to perform.

The data memory 100 and the graphical interface information memory 110are implemented by using, for example, the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2 .Reading or writing of data stored in the HD 504 is performed via the HDDcontroller 505, for example.

The transmitter/receiver 11 transmits and receives various data to andfrom other servers or terminals via the communication network N1.

The data receiver 111 receives documents and document information fromthe user terminal 30-1. Also, the data receiver 111 requests the datamanager 12 to store the received documents. Furthermore, the datareceiver 111 requests the process information transmitter 112 totransmit the received document information.

The process information transmitter 112 transmits document informationand access information to the document processing server 20. Thedocument information according to this embodiment is information that isexpressed in documents stored in the data memory 100. The accessinformation according to this embodiment is information for accessingdocuments stored in the data memory 100.

The access information is, for example, ID information (hereinafter alsoreferred to as “original copy ID”) that identifies a document in thedocument management server 10. The access information may also beinformation (hereinafter also referred to as “storage locationinformation”) that indicates the storage location of a document in thedocument management server 10. To be more specific, the accessinformation may be a link such as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) thatindicates the location of a document in the document management server10.

Note that the processing information transmission unit 112 can, forexample, transmit the document information and the access information tothe document processing server 20 via an API (Application ProgrammingInterface) provided by the document processing server 20.

The acquisition request receiver 113 receives, for example, a requestfor acquiring a document stored in the data memory 100 from the userterminal 30-2. This acquisition request includes access information tothe document.

The data transmitter 114 transmits the document specified by the accessinformation that is included in the acquisition request, to the documentprocessing server 20, in response to the acquisition request from thedocument processing server 20.

The graphical interface information transmitter 115 provides (transmits)graphical interface information that is generated by the graphicalinterface information generator 13 to the user terminal 30-1 or the userterminal 30-2, in response to a request from the user terminal 30-1 orthe user terminal 30-2. The graphical interface information generated bythe graphical interface information generator 13 is information torepresent the screen/graphical interface for operating the documentmanagement server 10.

The data manager 12 manages the documents and meta data stored in thedata memory 100. To be more specific, for example, the data manager 12stores a document that is received from the user terminal 30-1 in thedata memory 100. In doing so, the data manager 12 issues an originalcopy ID that identifies the document, and stores it in the document’smeta data, thereby storing the document and the original copy ID inassociation with each other.

Upon request from the user terminal 30-1 or the user terminal 30-2, thegraphical interface information generator 13 generates the graphicalinterface information to be provided to the user terminal 30-1 or theuser terminal 30-2. The graphical interface information generator 13generates the graphical interface information based on graphicalinterface information stored in the graphical interface informationmemory 110 and documents stored in the data memory 100.

The data memory 100 associates and stores the documents and meta datamanaged in the document management server 10. For example, a documentstored in the data memory 100 is an electronic file body that representsthe content of the document. Documents are stored in the data memory 100in a file format in accordance with the file system of the data memory100. The meta data is stored in a meta data table.

The graphical interface information memory 110 stores the graphicalinterface information transmitted from the graphical interfaceinformation transmitter 115 to the user terminal 30-1 or the userterminal 30-2. Each piece of graphical interface information stored inthe graphical interface information memory 110 is, for example, writtenin HTML (HyperText Markup Language) or the like, and may also includeapplications written in JavaScript (registered trademark) or the like.

Functional Structure of the Document Processing Server

As shown in FIG. 4 , the document processing server 20 according to thisembodiment includes a transmitter/receiver 21, a memory controller 22, agraphical interface information generator 23, a data memory 200, and agraphical interface information memory 210. The transmitter/receiver 21according to this embodiment includes a process information receiver 211and a graphical interface information transmitter 212.

The transmitter/receiver 21 is implemented by, for example, processesthat the programs loaded in the RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2cause the CPU 501 and the network I/F 509 to perform.

The memory controller 22 and the graphical interface informationgenerator 23 are implemented by, for example, processes that theprograms loaded in the RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2 cause theCPU 501 and the HDD controller 505 to perform.

The data memory 200 is implemented by using, for example, the HD 504shown in FIG. 2 . Reading or writing of data stored in the HD 504 isperformed via the HDD controller 505, for example.

The transmitter/receiver 21 transmits and receives various data to andfrom other servers or terminals via the communication network N1.

For example, the process information receiver 211 receives documentinformation and an original copy ID from the document management server10. Also, the process information receiver 211 requests the memorycontroller 22 to store the received document information and originalcopy ID.

Upon request from the user terminal 30-2, the graphical interfaceinformation transmitter 212 provides (transmits) graphical interfaceinformation generated by the graphical interface information generator23 to the user terminal 30-2. The graphical interface informationgenerated by the graphical interface information generator 23 isinformation that represents the screen/graphical interface for operatingthe document processing server 20.

The acquisition request transmitter 213, for example, transmits arequest for acquiring a document to the management server 10 in responseto a request from the user terminal 30-2. This acquisition requestincludes the original copy ID selected by the user terminal 30-2.

The data receiver 214 receives the document that is sent from thedocument management server 10 in response to the document acquisitionrequest. Also, the data receiver 214 requests the graphical interfaceinformation generator 23 to generate graphical interface information foran original copy view graphical interface based on the receiveddocument.

The memory controller 22 manages the document information and meta datastored in the data memory 200. To be more specific, the memorycontroller 22 generates the billing information to be processed based onthe document information received from the document management server10, and stores it in the data memory 200. In doing so, the memorycontroller 22 issues ID information (hereinafter also referred to as“billing ID”) that identifies the billing information, and stores theaccess information in the meta data of the billing information, therebystoring the billing ID and the access information in association witheach other.

The graphical interface information generator 23 generates graphicalinterface information for a bill processing graphical interface and anoriginal copy view graphical interface to be provided to the userterminal 30-2, in response to a request from the user terminal 30-2. Thegraphical interface information generator 23 generates the graphicalinterface information of the bill processing graphical interface basedon graphical interface information of the bill processing graphicalinterface stored in the graphical interface information memory 210 andbilling information stored in the data memory 200. Also, the graphicalinterface information generator 23 generates the graphical interfaceinformation of the original copy view graphical interface based ongraphical interface information of the original copy view graphicalinterface stored in the graphical interface information memory 210 andthe document received from the document management server 10.

The data memory 200 stores the billing information and meta data managedin the document processing server 20. The billing information is storedin a billing information table. The meta data is stored in a meta datatable.

Functional Structure of User Terminal

As shown in FIG. 4 , a user terminal 30 according to this embodimentincludes a transmitter/receiver 31, a display controller 32, and aninput 33.

The transmitter/receiver 31 is implemented by, for example, processesthat the programs loaded in the RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2cause the CPU 501 and the network I/F 509 to perform.

The display controller 32 is implemented by, for example, processes thatthe programs loaded in the RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2 causethe CPU 501 and the display 506 to perform.

The input 33 is implemented by, for example, processes that the programsloaded in the RAM 503 from the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2 cause the CPU 501and the keyboard 511 or the pointing device 512 to perform.

The transmitter/receiver 31 transmits and receives various data to andfrom other servers or terminals via the communication network N1.

The display controller 32 displays the graphical interface for operatinganother server based on graphical interface information received by thetransmitter/receiver 31 from that server.

The input 33 receives various operations from the user as input. Theseoperations include an input operation of a file in which electronic datais recorded.

Procedures of Information Processing Method

Next, example procedures of the information processing method performedby the information processing system according to this embodiment willbe described with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a sequence diagramthat shows example procedures of the information processing methodaccording to this embodiment.

In step S1, the display controller 32 of the user terminal 30-1 displaysa document registration graphical interface in response to a requestingperson’s operation. The display controller 32 may authenticate therequesting person before displaying the document registration graphicalinterface, and display the document registration graphical interfacewhen the authentication is successful. Here, the explanation will becontinued assuming that the requesting person is successfullyauthenticated.

Here, the document registration graphical interface according to thisembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is aconceptual diagram that shows an example of the document registrationgraphical interface according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the document registration graphical interface 1000according to this embodiment includes a file entry column 1001, a browsebutton 1002, and a save button 1009.

The file entry column 1001 accepts input of information that representsthe location of the electronic file corresponding to the document to beregistered. The information to represent the location of the electronicfile may be an absolute path or a relative path, or may be informationthat indicates a file on another device, written in URI (UniformResource Identifier) format.

When the requesting person presses the browse button 1002, a fileselection dialog box is activated. The requesting person can enter inputto the file entry column 1001 by selecting a file by using the fileselection dialog box.

The document to be registered is a document to be processed by thedocument processing server 20. The document according to this embodimentis electronic data that represents a bill such as an invoice.

When the requesting person presses the save button 1009, the input 33receives input of the document specified by the content entered in thefile entry column 1001.

Next, the display controller 32 displays the document information entrygraphical interface in response to an operation by the requestingperson.

Here, the document information registration graphical interfaceaccording to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram that shows an example of the documentinformation registration graphical interface according to thisembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the document information registration graphicalinterface 1100 according to this embodiment has a billing address entrycolumn 1101, an invoice number entry column 1102, a billing date entrycolumn 1103, a balance entry column 1104, and a confirm button 1109.Note that the entry columns on the document information registrationgraphical interface 1100 can be added, changed, or deleted in any way,depending on the particulars of the process.

The requesting person enters the billing address, invoice number,billing date and balance shown on the bill, in the billing address entrycolumn 1101, invoice number entry column 1102, billing date entry column1103 and balance entry column 1104.

Next, when the requesting person presses the confirm button 1109, theinput 33 receives entry of the billing address, invoice number, billingdate and amount entered in the billing address entry column 1101,invoice number entry column 1102, billing date entry column 1103 andbalance entry column 1104. Subsequently, the input 33 generates documentinformation based on the received billing address, invoice number,billing date, and balance.

Here, the document information according to this embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 8 . FIG. 8 is a diagram that shows anexample of document information according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the document information according to thisembodiment includes data items such as an original copy ID, billingaddress, invoice number, billing date, and balance.

Subsequently, the input 33 requests the transmitter/receiver 31 totransmit a registration request for the document and documentinformation that have been received as input. The transmitter/receiver31 transmits the input document and document information to the documentmanagement server 10.

The explanation of FIG. 5 will be resumed now. In step S2, the datareceiver 111 of the document management server 10 receives a documentand document information from the user terminal 30-1. Next, the datareceiver 111 requests the data manager 12 to place the received documentin memory. Also, the data receiver 111 requests the process informationtransmitter 112 to transmit the received document information.

The data manager 12 issues an original copy ID that identifies thereceived document. Here, assume that “ID-A” is issued as an originalcopy ID. Next, the data manager 12 stores the issued original copy ID inthe received document’s meta data. The data manager 12 then stores thedocument and the meta data in the data memory 100.

Here, document meta data according to this embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a diagram that shows an example ofdocument meta data according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the document meta data according to this embodimentincludes an original copy ID, file information, and so forth, as dataitems. The file information is information that represents the filecorresponding to the document. For example, the file information is thefile name or an absolute path that indicates the file.

FIG. 9 is an example, and the data items included in a document’s metadata can be added, changed, or deleted in any way by the user. Also,depending on the type of document or the state of the process, some ofthe meta data may not be set.

The explanation of FIG. 5 will be resumed now. In step S3, the processinformation transmitter 112 of the document management server 10transmits a document information processing request to the documentprocessing server 20. This processing request includes the documentinformation and the original copy ID.

In step S4, the process information receiver 211 of the documentprocessing server 20 receives the processing request from the documentmanagement server 10. Next, the process information receiver 211requests the memory controller 22 to store the document information andoriginal copy ID included in the received processing request.

The memory controller 22 generates billing information based on thereceived document information. Next, the memory controller 22 issues abilling ID that identifies the generated billing information. Here,assume that “ID-B” is issued as a billing ID. Next, the memorycontroller 22 stores the issued billing ID in the meta data of thebilling information. The memory controller 22 then stores the billinginformation and meta data in the data memory 200.

In step S5, the memory controller 22 of the document processing server20 stores the received original copy ID in the meta data of the billinginformation. By this means, the billing ID and the original copy ID areassociated in the billing information’s meta data.

Here, the meta data of billing information according to this embodimentwill be described with reference to FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is a diagram thatshows an example of billing information meta data according to thisembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the meta data of billing information according tothis embodiment includes a billing ID and an original copy ID as dataitems.

FIG. 10 is an example, and the data items included in the meta data ofbilling information can be added, changed, or deleted in any way by theuser. Also, depending on the state of the process, some of the meta datamay not be set.

The explanation of FIG. 5 will be resumed now. In step S6, the memorycontroller 22 of the document processing server 20 requests thetransmitter/receiver 21 to transmit a notice of completion ofregistration. The transmitter/receiver 21 transmits the notice ofcompletion of registration to the document management server 10.

In step S7, the transmitter/receiver 11 of the document managementserver 10 receives the notice of completion of registration from thedocument processing server 20. Next, the transmitter/receiver 11transmits the received notice of completion of registration to the userterminal 30-1.

In step S8, the input 33 of the user terminal 30-2 displays a bill listgraphical interface in response to an operation by the processingperson. The display controller 32 may authenticate the processing personbefore displaying the bill list graphical interface, and display thebill list graphical interface when the authentication is successful.Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the processingperson is successfully authenticated.

Here, the bill list graphical interface according to this embodimentwill be described with reference to FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a conceptualdiagram that shows an example of the bill list graphical interfaceaccording to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the bill list graphical interface 2000 accordingto this embodiment has a bill list display column 2010, a searchcondition input column 2020, a calculation button 2030, and so forth.

The bill list display column 2010 displays a list of billing informationmanaged in the document processing server 20. By entering searchconditions in the search condition entry column 2020 and pressing thecalculation button 2030, the billing information displayed in the billlist display column 2010 can be narrowed down to the billing informationthat matches the search conditions.

When the processing person performs an operation to select a bill in thebill list display column 2010 (for example, by clicking on the billinginformation displayed in the bill list display column 2010), the input33 requests the transmitter/receiver 31 to transmit a request foracquiring a bill processing graphical interface. Thetransmitter/receiver 31 transmits a bill processing graphical interfaceacquisition request to the document processing server 20. Thisacquisition request includes the billing ID of the billing informationto be processed, selected in the bill list display column 2010.

The explanation of FIG. 5 will be resumed now. In step S9, thetransmitter/receiver 21 of the document processing server 20 receivesthe bill processing graphical interface acquisition request, from theuser terminal 30-1. Next, the transmitter/receiver 21 sends the billprocessing graphical interface acquisition request to the graphicalinterface information generator 23.

The graphical interface information generator 23 receives the billprocessing graphical interface acquisition request from thetransmitter/receiver 21. Next, the graphical interface informationgenerator 23 acquires graphical interface information of the billprocessing graphical interface from the graphical interface informationmemory 210. Also, the graphical interface information generator 23requests the memory controller 22 to transmit the billing informationassociated with the billing ID included in the acquisition request.

The memory controller 22 acquires the billing information identified bythe billing ID included in the acquisition request, from the data memory200. Next, the memory controller 22 sends the acquired billinginformation to the graphical interface information generator 23.

In step S10, the graphical interface information generator 23 embeds thebilling information received from the memory controller 22 in thegraphical interface information obtained from the graphical interfaceinformation memory 210. By this means, the graphical interfaceinformation of the bill processing graphical interface to transmit tothe user terminal 30-2 is generated.

In step S11, the graphical interface information generator 23 requeststhe graphical interface information transmitter 212 to transmit thegraphical interface information of the bill processing graphicalinterface. The graphical interface information transmitter 212 transmitsthe graphical interface information of the bill processing graphicalinterface to the user terminal 30-2.

In step S12, the transmitter/receiver 31 of the user terminal 30-2receives the graphical interface information of the bill processinggraphical interface from the document processing server 20. Next, thetransmitter/receiver 31 sends the received graphical interfaceinformation to the display controller 32. The display controller 32displays the bill processing graphical interface on the display 506 orthe like, based on the received graphical interface information.

Here, the bill processing graphical interface according to thisembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12 . FIG. 12 is aconceptual diagram that shows an example bill processing graphicalinterface according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12 , the bill processing graphical interface 2100according to this embodiment has a bill detail display column 2110. Thebill detail display column 2110 displays the details of the billinginformation to be processed. Each of the billing information displayedin the bill detail display column 2110 includes an original copy IDdisplay column 2111. The original copy ID display column 2111 displaysthe original copy ID associated with each billing information.

The explanation of FIG. 5 will be resumed now. In step S13, the input 33of the user terminal 30-2 receives user operations on the original copyID display column 2111 in the bill processing graphical interface 2100(for example, a click on the original copy ID display column 2111).Next, the input 33 requests the transmitter/receiver 31 to transmit arequest for acquiring the document. This acquisition request includesthe original copy ID displayed in the operated original copy ID displaycolumn 2111. The transmitter/receiver 31 transmits the request foracquiring the document to the processing server 20.

In step S14, the acquisition request transmitter 213 of the documentprocessing server 20 receives the document acquisition request from theuser terminal 30-2. Next, the acquisition request transmitter 213transmits the document acquisition request to the management server 10.

In step S15, the acquisition request receiver 113 of the documentmanagement server 10 receives the document acquisition request from theprocessing server 20. Next, the acquisition request receiver 113 sendsthe received document acquisition request to the data manager 12.

The data manager 12 acquires the document stored in the data memory 100based on the original copy ID included in the acquisition request. Thedata manager 12 sends the retrieved document to the data transmitter114.

In step S16, the data transmitter 114 of the document management server10 transmits the document received from the data manager 12 to thedocument processing server 20.

In step S17, the data receiver 214 of the document processing server 20receives the document from the document management server 10. The datareceiver 214 sends the received document to the graphical interfaceinformation generator 23.

The graphical interface information generator 23 acquires the graphicalinterface information of the original copy view graphical interface fromthe graphical interface information memory 210. Next, the graphicalinterface information generator 23 embeds the document received from thedata receiver 214 in the graphical interface information acquired fromthe graphical interface information memory 210. By this means, thegraphical interface information of the original copy view graphicalinterface to be transmitted to the user terminal 30-2 is generated.

In step S18, the graphical interface information generator 23 of thedocument processing server 20 requests the graphical interfaceinformation transmitter 212 to transmit the graphical interfaceinformation of the original copy view graphical interface. The graphicalinterface information transmitter 212 transmits the graphical interfaceinformation of the original copy view graphical interface to the userterminal 30-2.

In step S19, the transmitter/receiver 31 of the user terminal 30-2receives the graphical interface information of the original copy viewgraphical interface from the document processing server 20. Next, thetransmitter/receiver 31 sends the received graphical interfaceinformation to the display controller 32. The display controller 32displays the original copy view graphical interface on the display 506or the like, based on the received graphical interface information.

Here, the original copy view graphical interface according to thisembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13 . FIG. 13 is aconceptual diagram that shows an example original copy view graphicalinterface according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the original copy view graphical interface 2200according to this embodiment has an original copy display graphicalinterface 2210. The original copy display graphical interface 2210displays the content of the document identified by the original copy IDincluded in the acquisition request.

Note that, although a structure in which the document processing server20 provides an original copy view graphical interface to the userterminal 30-2 has been described with this embodiment, it is equallypossible to employ a structure in which the document processing server20 transmits a file that represents an original copy to the userterminal 30-2, and in which the user terminal 30-2 displays the originalcopy by using general-purpose software that matches the type of thefile.

Effects of Embodiment

In the information processing system of this embodiment, the documentprocessing server associates and stores a billing ID that identifiesbilling information based on document information, with an original copyID that identifies a document managed in the document management server.The document processing server transmits an acquisition request,including the original copy ID, to the document management server inresponse to a request from the user terminal. The document processingserver provides the user terminal with a graphical interface throughwhich the document received from the document management server may beviewed at the user terminal.

Therefore, according to the information processing system of thisembodiment, a graphical interface that the document management serverprovides to the user terminal allows easy viewing of documents managedin the document processing server. This is efficient because theprocessing person does not need to know in advance the information toaccess the documents managed in the document management server.

Modifications

With the above embodiment, an example accounting system has beendescribed in which a document processing server performs accountingprocesses by using accounting information provided in the form ofdocuments such as invoices. However, the document processing server isby no means limited to document processing, and can perform electronicprocessing of various types of electronic data.

For example, the information processing system according to the presentembodiment can be applied to data analysis processes in thebioinformatics field. In this case, the document processing serverprovides, for example, the service of analyzing macromolecular proteins.

In this modification, the document processing server in the aboveembodiment will be referred to as an “information processing device,”and the document management server in the above embodiment will bereferred to as a “data management device.”

The information processing method according to this modification will bedescribed in detail. The user of the service provided by the informationprocessing device registers experimental data related to macromolecularproteins to be analyzed in the data management device. The datamanagement device transmits information representing the content of theexperimental data and access information to the experimental data, tothe information processing device.

The information processing device transmits graphical interfaceinformation used to display the content of the experimental data and theaccess information to the user terminal. The user performs an operation(for example, clicks on a link displayed on the graphical interface) toselect the experimental data to view on the screen provided by theinformation processing device. The information processing devicetransmits a request for acquiring the experimental data, to the datamanagement device, in response to a user’s operation of the userterminal.

The data management device transmits the experimental data to theinformation processing device in response to the acquisition requestfrom the information processing device. The information processingdevice transmits graphical interface information for browsing theexperimental data to the user terminal. The user terminal displays agraphical interface for viewing the experimental data according to thegraphical interface information.

According to this structure, the information processing device of thismodification allows the user to access the experimental data managed inthe data management device with ease, through the graphical interfaceprovided by the information processing device to the user terminal.

Notes

In the above-described embodiment, the document management server 10 isan example of a data management device. The document processing server20 is an example of an information processing device. The informationprocessing system 1 is an example of a data management system. Documentsare an example of data. The process information transmitter 112 is anexample of an access information transmitter. The process informationreceiver 211 is an example of an access information receiver.

Each function of the embodiment described above may be implemented byone or more processing circuits. Here, the “processing circuit”according to this specification may refer to a processor that isprogrammed by software to perform functions, such as a processorimplemented by an electronic circuit, or may refer to a device that isdesigned to perform the herein-described functions, such as an ASIC(Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (a digital signalprocessor), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a conventionalcircuit module, and so forth.

The devices described with the above embodiment are simplyrepresentative of one of several computing environments for implementingthe embodiment described herein. In some embodiments, the documentmanagement server 10 and the document processing server 20 may includemultiple computing devices, such as a server cluster. These multiplecomputing devices are configured to communicate with each other over anytype of communication link, including a network, a shared memory, and soforth, to perform the processes described in this specification.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described indetail above, the present invention is by no means limited to the aboveembodiment, and various modifications or changes can be made.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data management device comprising: circuitry; amemory storing executable instructions which, when executed by thecircuitry, cause the circuitry to: communicably connect with aninformation processing terminal and an information processing device viaa network; transmit access information to the information processingdevice, the transmitted access information being used to view datastored in the memory; receive an acquisition request from theinformation processing device, the received acquisition request beingtransmitted in response to a user operation performed on the accessinformation in the information processing terminal connected to theinformation processing device, and being used to acquire the data; andtransmit the acquired data to the information processing device based onthe access information included in the acquisition request.
 2. The datamanagement device according to claim 1, wherein the executableinstructions further cause the circuitry to: associate the data with theaccess information and store the associated data and access informationin the memory; select the data from the memory based on the accessinformation included in the acquisition request; and transmit theselected data to the information processing device.
 3. The datamanagement device according to claim 1, wherein the access informationincludes ID information that identifies the data.
 4. The data managementdevice according to claim 1, wherein the executable instructions furthercause the circuitry to receive the data and generate graphical interfaceinformation, the graphical interface information being used to generatethe access information.
 5. A data management system comprising:circuitry; a memory storing executable instructions which, when executedby the circuitry, cause the circuitry to: communicably connect a datamanagement device and an information processing terminal via a network;in the data management device: transmit access information, thetransmitted access information being used to view data stored in thememory; receive an acquisition request, the received acquisition requestbeing transmitted in response to a user operation performed on theaccess information in the information processing terminal, and beingused to acquire the data; and transmit the acquired data based on theaccess information included in the acquisition request; and in theinformation processing terminal: display a graphical interface in whichthe access information is displayed; and receive the user operationperformed on the access information.
 6. A non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium storing executable instructionswhich, when executed by circuitry of a computer, cause the circuitry to:communicably connect with an information processing terminal and aninformation processing device via a network; transmit access informationto the information processing device, the transmitted access informationbeing used to view data stored in a memory; receive an acquisitionrequest from the information processing device, the received acquisitionrequest being transmitted in response to a user operation performed onthe access information in the information processing terminal connectedto the information processing device, and being used to acquire thedata; and transmit the acquired data to the information processingdevice based on the access information included in the acquisitionrequest.